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WELSH GUARDS.

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WELSH GUARDS. Story of an Attack on German Positions. Further interesting; references to the part played by Welsh units in the Great British offensive around Loos in autumn last are made in the concluding instalment of the narrative prepared by the Com- blittee of Imperial Defence from official records. For the first time we have the Guards Division, including the 1st Welsh Guards, brought into the limelight. The Guards re-placed the 2nd Division on the night of October 3, after the re- pulse ot a strong German attack north of the Quarries. At eight a.m. the bom- bardment of Hill 70 began, and an hour afterwards the assault was delivered. For some* time the crest of the hill was stub- bornly contested, but the machine-guns in the, redoubt did great execution, and in the end the attackers were pushed back to the trcnche-s lower down the elope. Hete a confused struggle went on with Varying success; several times our line gave way before the German counter-at- tacks, only to be rallied and to go forward again. As the 63rd Brigade, supported by two battalions ot the (itth, came forward again, the troops of the 21th Davision be- gan their advance, the 72nd Brigade in the two hading lines, tv.o battalions of the 71st in reserve. Farther south again the- South Wales Borderers, the Black Watch, and the 2nd Welsh of the 1st pi vision wore moving forward against Hulluch. Of these three battalions, the two en the left came under very heavy Qiaohine-gun tire, and could make little headway, but the Welsh pushed on far, driving the advanced German troops back before them, and getting quite close to the Southern end of the village. But the Germans had made good use of their occupation of Bois Hugo. They had brought up machine-guns, and were able to pour a damaging enfilade fire into the "iglit flank of the 72nd Brigade, inflicting aeavy casualties. Unable to get through the wire, and with nearly all their officers down, the 72nd had to fall back, suffering terribly from artillery the. Meanwhile the Welsh, left in the air by the retreat of the 72nd Brigade, had had to full back from their exposed position near Hulluch. THE GUARDS' DEBUT. On tho 27th the whole 15th Division was withdrawn for a richly-merited and much-needed rest. While the 3rd Cavalry Division were taking oveiv and consolidat- ing the defences of Loos, other troops Were relieving the 21st and 24tli Divisions in the eaptmed trenches nprth of Loos. These were the Guards, about to make their debut as a division. The task as- signed to them was the recovery of the line Hill 7U—-P nits llbis—Chalk l'it, on frhieli the Germans were by now well es- tablished. Not till four o'clock on Sep- tember 27 did the Guards advance. On their left the 1st Guards Brigade and the troops of the 1st Division, who were hold- ing on to tfeeir advanced positions close to Hulluch. were to assist the advance by tatting off smoke bombs and making other demonstrations as if about to assault Hulluch, while on the right the 3rd (j trck" Brigude was to move through 2-oos to attack Hill 70. While the 2nd Guards were hotly engaged round Pints Hbis and Chalk ['it V'VKXI, the 3rd ad- vanced steadily through Loos under a storm of shells, many officers and men being put out of action by asphyxiating; gases. About 5.30 p.m. it launched its attack on Hill 70. The 4th Grenadiers, who led the brigade, had lost so heavily frúIU the gas shells that the, Welsh Guards, the supporting battalion, had to be put in at once. Pushing forward steadily, these two battalions, botit of them in action for the first time, won their way nearly to the crest of the hill, and though the redoubt on the top checked them. as it ha.d checked the 15tk Division on theprevious morning, they established and maintained a line just below the crest of the ridge, more or less where the High- landers had railled round the Cameron I tartan two- days before. VALUE OF THE ATTACK. r Duri!\ g the II i I.: h j the 2nd ScoU Giutrd s up a.nd relieved thp Welsh battalion. Th, gallant attack of the Guards had not Achieved all it had set out, to do. but; it bad resulted in the definite establishment: of the British front. Between t iirce and 'our o'clock on October s the Germans prtme streaming over the crest of Hill 70 In masses. The Germans pressed on with Magnificent courage, but were mowed down a] most to. a man by the rifle fire ot the 2nd Ministers in Chalk Pit Wood and the 1st Gloueesters in the Chalk Pit it8clf, and of the 9th King's just north. or gome hours desperate bombing work ).-nt on in Big Willio and in the saps and ')Iii-,niinicati' on trenches round, whilst the onmouthsbirus (the Pioneer Battnlion if the division) W""T putting the redoubt '? a dpi?BsibIp condition. Not much ?Qnd could Iw gnf>d, though useful help given by some detachments ?nt up the Notts a.nd Derby Brigade, a.nd j??rtly bfforf four p.m. th.? adv?ncpd P! d th' I.inoolns and I?ir?st?rs fpU  nn the rednubf. They rallied thpre, .?'?*'T?. ?n ? ?hp G?rm?n counter-attack checked, i I

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